The AHS National Honor Society is hosting their annual blood drive on Valentines day! On Wednesday, February 14th, the blood drive will be held in the Ed & Betty Wilcox Performing Arts Center lobby, from 9 am to 2pm. The blood drive is a great way that Algona NHS can give back to the community.
Parents, students, and anyone from the community are encouraged to donate! Appointments are preferred. You can sign up online, in the high school office, or ask an NHS member to sign you up. Otherwise, they do take walk-ins. If you are under the age of 18, you will need parent permission to donate. Everyone who donates will receive a brief health screening before donating to make sure they are eligible.
If you plan to donate, make sure you get plenty of rest, eat a good meal, and drink lots of water the night before and the day of.
Donating blood helps patients of all ages, ranging from burn victims to cancer patients. Just one donation saves up to three lives. Also, a fun fact about blood donations is: “People who donated blood had an 88% lower risk of suffering a heart attack,” according to the American Journal of Epidemiology. By donating blood, you will be helping many people in need, so donate if you are able and willing!
NHS students planned and are working at this event. They are also in charge of promoting the event and finding donors. On the day of the event, they will help set up the area, escort donors to the rest area after they donate, and hand out snacks and drinks. They will also be helping clean up after the event.
Senior, Jacob Schutter, says, “It is really good to give back to people in need of blood. I’m excited to receive my red chord at graduation, because donating blood is an easy way to help people!” Red cords are available to AHS graduates who donate at least three times throughout high school.
The NHS hopes to see many students and community members there, so sign up as soon as possible!